fm23

Wonderkid Watch - Mathias Kvistgaarden

 
 


On Episode 314 we recently discussed a Danish wonderkid who it’s safe to say has been enjoying his breakthrough at Bröndby IF in the Danish Superligaen, quite timely seeing as his fellow wonderkid and compatriot Rasmus Højlund had just completed a £70m move to Manchester United after his own breakout season at Atalanta last year. Let’s take a closer look at the 21-year-old who has rapidly shot to fame across European football commentators this season, and discuss if he is worthy of your time in Football Manager accordingly.

 
 

Though coveted by FC Nordsjælland as a boy, Mathias Damm Kvistgaarden signed for Lyngby before later opting to join the Brondby youth academy due to the apparent close relationship between his family and then Brondby manager Thomas Frank. Despite the latter’s subsequent move to Brentford, Kvistgaarden continued to impress at Brondby and he was rewarded with his senior debut in 2020 before properly breaking into the first-team squad in early 2022. Though not as burly and physically imposing as some of the more traditional Danish strikers (see Nicklas Bendtner, Youssuf Poulsen and Jonas Wind to name a few) - Kvistgaarden showed that age is just a number amassing 5 goals and 3 assists in 4 league games including a hat-trick against the aforementioned Nordsjælland at the end of what was largely a disappointing season for Brondby who finished 5th having won the league just two seasons previously.

 
 

By the end of that season Kvistgaarden had a tally of 7 goals and 4 assists across 21 appearances for Brondby, the majority of which came during an outstanding run of form in the latter half of the season as Brondby contested the Championship round of the Danish league. Widely regarded for his speed, explosiveness, comfort on the ball and calmness in front of goal, he has become a key player for Brondby this season starting all 5 of their opening league games scoring once and providing two assists to put Brondby in 3rd place in the early stages of the new campaign.

 
 

More recently (and most importantly after we recorded the episode), Kvistgaarden already looks set for a big move away from Denmark with Scottish giants Celtic the favourites to bag his signature if they meet the £6m price tag set by Brondby - as stepping stones go Celtic would be an ideal club for Kvistgaarden to prove his worth and take another step forward into the limelight if Brendan Rogers can get him playing to his full potential.

 
 

In FM23 it’s fair to say Kvistgaarden isn’t yet as highly rated and arguably rightly so as he only really began to show his goalscoring ability and potential after the winter update was released - that said he would be a bargain signing for a lower league club with promising all-round physical, mental and technical attributes that should rapidly increase if given the right coaching and development (the makings of a good Pressing Forward with that Natural Fitness 👀). If he continues his good real-life form he will surely see a big attributes boost in FM24, but why wait when you can say you saw him first?

 
 

Thanks for reading - let us know if you have had any interesting experiences with the lad and if you would like us to review any other potential wonderkids as part of our new “Adventures in Wonderkid-land” segment - drop us a line in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter 👌.

Wonderkid Watch - Julian Duranville

 
 

by @FMDoop

There must be something in the water over in Belgium because in recent years they’ve seen more exciting talents coming through than I’ve seen hot dinners. Through their Golden Generation we've seen world-class talents such as Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne all excel and succeed at the highest levels of European football and this has continued through the likes of Charles De Ketelaere, Romeo Lavia and Jeremy Doku. Next up on the Belgium talent conveyor belt is Julien Duranville.

 
 

Julien Duranville put on the purple & white shirt colours of Anderlecht for the first time at the age of seven, growing up in Neerpede as part of a talented 2006 golden generation. The winger impressed with his lightning-fast speed and technical skills throughout every stage of his journey through Anderlecht youth academy, and he (literally) moved quickly to show his talents off at the most successful Belgian club in history. Even at an early age, Julien's agility and quickness allowed him to maneuver through tight spaces and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. His excellent dribbling skills and close ball control make him a constant threat to opposing defences. Duranville possesses a powerful shot and is capable of scoring goals from distance as well as inside the penalty area. He soon earned the nickname “lightning bolt” due to his speed as a youngster, and his career seemed to progress with comparable drive and momentum at a club recognised throughout Europe for helping talented youngsters to reach their potential.

 
 

The now Dortmund attacker (following an €8.5m move in Jan 2023) made his professional debut two weeks after his 16th birthday - playing his first match for Anderlecht against Club Brugge on the last day of the 21/22 season. In September of the following season, he got his first senior goal against OH Leuven. Julien came off the bench for his first appearance of the campaign, where he found the ball at his feet with not a lot of time on the edge of the area. With minimum backlift, Julien brilliantly planted the ball in the top corner to score a statement first goal for the club.

 
 

Since the FM23 Winter Update, Julien is at Dortmund aged just 16. Despite his young age, Duranville has shown maturity beyond his years, both on and off the pitch. He displays excellent determination and teamwork skills, making him a reliable performer in high-pressure situations. His tactical awareness and ability to adapt to different formations and styles of play further enhance his value as a player.

 
 

With this versatility, it allows managers to operate him in various positions, including attacking midfielder, winger, or even as a false nine. If you get him retrained early on with proper guidance and game time, Duranville can evolve into a key player and a linchpin of any team's attacking prowess.

This is what I did with him at 1860 Munich. We had multiple adequate wingers yet we had a big hole in midfield for a creative player and no money to buy someone new. This gave me the chance to retrain him as an Advanced Playmaker on Attack duty in midfield. His ability to bring the ball out, find a pass and his overall pace and explosiveness makes him a suitable ball carrier from midfield. This is shown in his league stats for the season - 32 games played, 16 goal contributions.

 
 

Overall, Julien Duranville is an exceptional player to have in your squad. His technical skills, versatility and growth potential make him an exciting prospect to nurture and develop into a world-class winger or whatever you retrain him to. Whether you're managing Borussia Dortmund or any other club, Duranville can be the figure that you build your team around to become that driving force behind your team's success. Have you used him this year? Let us know your experiences in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Be sure to follow Doop over on Twitch, Twitter and hear him every Monday with the rest of the gang on 5 Star Potential, the longest running weekly Football Manager podcast.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.

The Hometown Hero - I

 
 

by @FMDoop

Horse racing festivals and the birthplace of..Me. These are the two things that Cheltenham is famous for. Or to bring to Football Manager, many may know their last manager and ex-player Michael Duff. Duff was a must-buy for almost all managers on CM 01/02. Last season Michael Duff led his side to the club's highest English Football League finish after ending the campaign in 15th with 56 points in League One. After setting this new record, Duff decided to notify the board that he wished to pursue new opportunities.

 

Mike Duff - Championship Manager royalty

 

This is where it’s time to meet me if you haven’t already.

One mile as the crow flies.

That’s the distance from that special delivery room where I took my first breath, to Whaddon Road and the home of Cheltenham Town. After ripping up trees at Under-7’s grassroots football, Cheltenham contacted me to take over. Can I lead Cheltenham to glory? Can I take them to new heights? Or will I fall at the first hurdle?

 
 

I’m a strange FM player. I take things a little too seriously. If that’s even possible. I even have a spreadsheet for Squad Numbers. Hold on tight, you’ll see this later. I just like things the way I like things, I like to stick to what I know. If a system is proven and gets results, why would you move away from that system? I use @FridayNightFM’s custom squad views and I normally take hours before I hit continue for the first time. I have a checklist that I must complete before advancing to the next day. I like to think that I’m sitting at my manager's desk at Whaddon Road. I lean forward and I take my notebook out of the top drawer. First page:

  1. Squad summary – Have a good look at the players I have, the players in the youth teams, and those out on loan. Pick your early favorites. Spot holes in the squad. 

  2. Chat to Staff – No such thing as a silly suggestion. Have a meeting with the staff, listen, watch, and learn. Make a good first impression. Work out quickly who you trust and who you want to get rid of. 

  3. Chat with the board – Can we get more staff? Improve facilities? It’s early but remember - if you don’t ask, you don’t get it.

  4. Prepare for tomorrow’s press conference - Remember the 7 P’s (Proper Planning and Preparation Prevent Piss Poor Performance)

  5. Get the friendlies sorted – 1 tough cup. One local cup. One easy cup. The last game is a confidence booster. 

1 - SQUAD

You know, I don’t dislike this squad. I plan to go into pre-season with a 442 with a good spine of loan players to strengthen the squad. We are very lucky to have a very good pair of forward players in the shape of Alfie May and Aidan Keena. May is big and strong yet very mobile. He has the player trait of he likes to wind up opponents. My guy. This is lower-league gold. Shithousery to the max. I’m hoping to have a pressing forward and an advance forward as my forward line. Well, May could do both roles, easily. The young Irish striker Aidan Keena is very much a carbon copy of May - arguably more of a natural finisher but time will tell.

Another player I think deserves a mention is the right winger, Ryan Broom. A workhorse. Great with the ball at his feet and always looking to distribute the ball when he can. If we could strengthen the depth in the centre of midfield, that would be awesome. I'll pop a couple of feeders out and get my DOF on the phone. But looking at our budgets, we might just have to work with what we got.

 
 

2 - STAFF

My hands are very much tied here and I don’t like it (my wife might beg to differ). I love a big team around me to help, support and advise as we go along. In recent years I have been all for hiring the best technical director I can find and then setting him to work on improving the staff, only checking in on his work every few months. But with the lack of funds and the lack of willingness from the targets, I see no changes. This means I don’t have a new backroom coming in with me. However, I will look to strengthen and improve the staff as we go along if I can.

 
 

3 - THE BOARD

This brings me nicely onto the board. Nothing. Just nothing. They won't let me add staff. They won't let me get an affiliate. They won't let me have more money. They won’t even let me scratch my arse at this rate. Let’s move on. 

4 - MEET THE MEDIA

After hours of shuffling bits around trying to find my ticket stub to the 2002 Football League Third Division play-off final which led a 10-year-old me to the Cardiff Millennium to watch FM wonderkids Michel Duff and Jamie Victory beat Rushden and Diamonds.

I get chucked into the mix with only three reporters, asking for a reason why I picked Cheltenham. Am I happy to be here? Am I happy with the squad? Do you know what I answered to each? Second from the left. If you know, you know. 😉

5 - FRIENDLIES

Again with me taking this game too seriously, I like to area-link each friendly. I like to make sure we are staying as close to home as possible to reduce travel time, costs, and fatigue and play games in clusters depending on the area we are visiting. 

 
 

We started with a little tour of the local area. Working on the system. Having a good look at the players. Upping the confidence. Then we moved on to the friendly cups. Joe wrote a great piece on The Byline about how to earn the maximum during the preseason by creating Friendly Cup competitions. I follow this like the letter of the law regardless of the level of football you are managing. This is a great way to generate funds.

 

So that’s my preseason. Simple. Takes far too long and if we lose a few of the opening games it all gets ripped apart and I head back to the drawing board. I like to think I don't panic but naturally, when you sink hours into pre-season and it all goes Pete Tong, I think it is inevitable that the panic sets in. But the expectations for us this season are very low. We have been asked to avoid the drop. Bravely. This is mirrored in the season preview. Second favorites to go down. Also compounded by the fact that we open up the season hosting newly relegated Peterborough. Talk about easing us into the season.

First Game - Peterborough (H)

All I ask is we get off to a good start. I don’t expect a 10/10 performance. I just want to see players working hard, working for the team, and giving it their all. Peterborough was always going to be a tough game. On my monthly projections (this is another spreadsheet) I had this game down as a low-scoring defeat or if we are lucky, a draw. But the home crowd was loud and players came out of the blocks at 100mph. Peterborough was shocked. We had four really good chances in the first ten minutes hitting the woodwork twice. Then success. In the 27th minute, Aflie May popped at the back post with a header to score his first of hopefully many goals this season to give us a well-deserved lead half an hour in.

Half-time oranges came and went and we started the second half just as we started the first. Keena ran through and tucked a low-driven shot into the bottom corner. Life is Bliss. Management is easy. Slippers on. Cigar lit...oh shit, they've scored. Awful defending by Cheltenham leaves us with a very nervy 30 mins. We didn't park the bus, I just asked the players to waste time where they could and be more disciplined. Which in turn, led us to a wonderful start and a well-deserved 3 points.   

 
 

Last season saw Rotherham promoted to the championship with 90 points. 87 to go then. 29 more wins. 

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 

40 points is enough to keep you in the division. 37 more points. 13 more wins. 

Here we go.

A cracking start to Doop’s new career as a blogger and as Cheltenham Town Manager - more to follow soon but if you can’t wait, be sure to follow him over on Twitter and you can hear him every Monday with the rest of the gang on 5 Star Potential, the longest running weekly Football Manager podcast.

Wonderkid Watch - Gianluca Prestianni

 
 

by @RocksEndFM

Argentinian football has a tradition for mavericks. From Alfredo Di Stefano to Mario Alberto Kempes to Diego Armando Maradona to Lionel Messi, each era has had a defining Argentine diez to bring awe and joy to the public. While it is entirely too early to suggest Gianluca Prestianni is ready to join that illustrious list of names, it's not that crazy to give it some consideration.

 
 

The 17-year-old was born on January 31, 2006 (FM lists it as January 15th), and it didn’t take him long to draw widespread interest and admiration. Coming from Velez Sarsfield, one of the best academies in the country, he’s always been ahead of his age group; few things show it as clearly as his debut last year, a 4-0 thrashing of Estudiantes de La Plata in the Copa Libertadores where he featured prominently aged just 16 years old.

Since then, his growth hasn’t stopped, and he’s now a mainstay in the Velez Sarsfield starting eleven under former Perú manager (and Vélez great) Ricardo Gareca, providing the few flashes of brilliance and joy the fans have had in what has otherwise been a languid and disappointing season for the club.

While he can play across the entire front of midfield, he’s been mostly used on the wings, either on the right with his favoured right foot or inverted on the left, where he can cut inside and shoot or look for a pass in behind. With his short stature, quick feet and rapid speed, he’s already drawn some comparisons to Lionel Messi, although his potrero style play with lots of feints, cutbacks and tricks often makes me think of another Argentine maverick, Ariel Ortega.

 
 

What better proof of that than his first ever professional goal. With Vélez Sarsfield on a rare 3-0 lead against a weaker Central Cordoba, the kids were let out to play, and it was a run from Brazilian-Argentine youngster Lenny Lobato that assisted Prestianni for a clear chance. It would have been understandable if, given his age, he rushed it and hit it first-time, but instead he showed composure beyond his years. A quick feint, an enganche out of the very best Argentine street games to send the keeper packing and an even easier pass to an almost empty goal. The celebration that followed was a dream come true: he’s a Vélez Sarsfield fan through and through.

 
 

Going to FM23, he’s 15 years old on the January 2022 start date for the Argentine league (and on a Youth Contract), but he’ll be 16 in the regular European-leagues’ start of June/July and on a professional contract for the first team. Valued between 7 and 10 million Euros, depending on where you’re managing, you’re going to have to wait a bit to get him as he often prefers to continue his development at Vélez Sarsfield.

Despite his young age, however, he’s got a fairly good technique, solid mentals and is already very quick, meaning he’ll be able to contribute very soon. With 13 Dribbling, 13 Technique and 12 Pace at just 16, he’s bound to give defenders trouble off the bench, and his five star potential suggests that’s only the beginning.

 
 

In my Parma save, despite starting from a lower point in the original 23.0 DB, he has developed into quite the deadly option from the wings, although he may not reach full potential due to being stuck in the Argentine Primera Division for far too long. Still, he had six assists and two goals in his first season with us (still only 22 years old), and established himself as a regular starter on the left flank.

 
 

However, with a Winter Upgrade that undoubtedly improved him and if signed early to further develop him in the European game, you could have a world-beater on your hands.

Simply put, Gianluca Prestianni has shown to be an extraordinary talent both on the virtual and real football pitches. He is perhaps the most interesting emerging star in Argentine football (already linked with a real life move to both Barcelona and Real Madrid), and he’s has captivated fans and pundits alike with his performances so you’d be wise not to miss out on him before he inevitably makes a move to a bigger market.

Thanks for reading.

RocksEndFM is a top quality Football Manager blogger and content creator - check out his Football Manager save adventures and FM guides over at RocksEndFM.com and be sure to give him a follow on Twitter.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.

Building a Coaching Team

 
 

I’ve often wondered how people put their backroom teams together, are you an attribute whore, do you get the old boys back together or do you play so far down the leagues you’re happy for the bloke that cuts the grass to stick a few cones out for the lads to run around? 

For the purpose of this conversation starter I’m going to focus purely on the coaching team but the basic principles will cover how I recruit for the other staffing areas. 

As you may be aware, I’ve started a new save with Valencia (if you haven’t the opening post is here and there’s a Twitter thread to compliment it here) and at the start of the game their backroom team is close to being one of the worst in the league, which is not a shock considering how badly run this team is. 

When I start a save building a backroom team is probably second on my to-do list and honestly, I can’t tell if it’s actually important but I feel like my process mixed with the results I get in game makes it something I never leave to chance. 

We begin at the Coaching Staff page where I identify our recruitment opportunities where we have space for 7 Coaches and 4 Performance Analysts. My rule of thumb with coaches in the top division is that their key attribute should be between 15-20 mixed with the Determination, Discipline and Motivation multiplier. I don’t use staff calculators but I believe they use a similar format to rate staff and there’s plenty out there that are a great help. 

 
 

On this page I have my Coaching View that breaks down the attributes I’ll be looking for and honestly, I make it really simple - 7 coaching spaces for 6 attribute groups; Goalkeeping, Defending, Attacking, Tactical, Technical & Fitness and that list is what I’ll use to start my staff search.

 
 

In the Staff Search screen I have my Staff Search - Coaches View selected which loosely mirrors the view we have in the Coaching Staff page making what we do next fairly fluid. I go in to New Search and set my parameters for a defensive coach:

 

Determination + Level of Discipline + Motivating + Defending - 15

 

Paul Robinson always comes up in this list and I sign him nearly every save that I’m in a position to do so, he just gives me old school defending vibes. One thing I would mention is that I do weight DDM over Adaptability but if there is a choice of candidates with the same attributes and mentality I’d use their Adaptability attribute as the decider. 

In the scenario where I use the above search filter and no staff are found I start to reduce DDM by one point until a suitable candidate is found. 

Repeat these steps across the attribute groups and you’ll have the best backroom team possible for your club, it might not be the best in the league as some clubs will have more scope for more coaches so don’t be disheartened, the more success you have, the more chances you’ll have to increase your coaching team. 

 

One coaching space left to turn that Fitness bar from green to gold

 

As the seasons progress and you’re faced with an inbox of expiring coaches contracts I like to start making the coaching team a bit more personal, little things like the goalkeeping coaches being the same nationality as my goalkeeper - why the goalkeeper? Who knows, it’s just something I do… During the seasons I’ll be keeping tabs on coaches I’ve seen and adding them to the shortlist for later, I’ll start looking at their personal mentality, they’re playing and tactical styles and start aligning them with the philosophies we have at the football club.

One final point I’d like to add and it’s something I don’t think I’ve ever done, is to take advantage of the Secondary Job, it’s something I’ve seen Doop use a few times in the lower leagues and it gives you the opportunity to cover two roles with one staff member, in fact, looking at the backroom team at Valencia we have Juan Monar who is contracted as a Sports Scientist with his Secondary Role as a Fitness Coach, it’s just a shame he’s not up to scratch at either! 

Thanks for giving this a read, I’d love to know how you build your backroom teams and why you choose the staff you do and yes, Pablo Aimar is on my Staff Shortlist for when the inevitable happens. 

David Villa aka FridayNightFM 

Keep Your Wonderkid - 6 Players to Build a Team Around in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

It comes up almost every transfer window these days. “No Wonderkid is safe”. Never has this sentiment been more true; as soon as we see a 16 or 17 year old player having a breakout season and enjoying their 5 minutes of fame, the big clubs are instantly sniffing around and already have plans in place having long been aware of these youth players such is the vastness of their scouting networks combined with the ease of transferring knowledge and viewing games at all levels around the world thanks to the internet and the power of social media.

Never was this more evident than in December 2022, when just a month after he made his Football Manager debut we saw Real Madrid complete the signing of 16-year-old Wonderkid Endrick Felipe from Palmeiras for a reported €60m, the highest fee ever paid for player from the Brazilian league let alone a 16-year-old which means Endrick is now locked in for a move since the FM23 Winter Update dropped - we barely got to enjoy him!

 
 

Devastating

This was a monumental moment in wonderkid history and a huge statement by the Madrid club. Nowadays players are being scouted and lined up for big money moves before they have even completed a full season at Senior level, and if football has taught us anything it’s that when one club leads, others will follow and while it brings great levels of excitement around the football community, it is surely bad news for us wonderkid enthusiasts and most certainly bad news for fans of the selling clubs in this scenario. 

 
 

Based on this we can almost derive a new challenge in Football Manager which we briefly introduced back in FM20 - the Keep Your Wonderkid challenge, whereby the goal is to do everything you can to keep a highly-rated wonderkid at their home club and try to fight off all bids and interest from any bigger clubs or suitors interested in their services, meaning the focus of the save is to retain a top talent and in turn build your team around said wonderkid. Sounds easy? Only 2 of the 10 players we identified 3 years ago are still at their original clubs, and knowing how ruthless the big clubs in Football Manager can be, you may have a job on your hands to keep these guys around and avoid their heads getting turned at the first sign of interest elsewhere.

Here are 6 Wonderkids to keep hold of in FM23 and in turn build your squad around them - GOOD LUCK.

1. Arda Güler - Fenerbahce

 
 

We already profiled Arda Güler in our Wonderkid Watch series a few weeks back and since then he has gone from strength to strength for Fenerbahce, most recently his performance against Sevilla in the Europa League knockout round where he helped his side to a 1-0 victory. His 84 minutes have suddenly propelled him to global stardom whereby his vision, awareness, composure and passing ability have opened the eyes of a number of top European clubs, and while he has been loosely termed as the “Turkish Messi”, it’s clear that Fenerbahce have a hell of a player on their hands and at 17 his on-field maturity wherein he continuously looks for the next pass and shows no fear running at opposition defenders have made him highly coveted ahead of the summer transfer window with the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all rumoured to be considering a transfer bid.

In FM23 we are looking at a glorious Number 10 with phenomenal technical skills and attributes far beyond his 17 years - in particular his 16 Determination, Flair and Technique combined with his “Dictates Tempo” player trait. We previously compared Güler to a young Mesut Özil and he clearly has the potential to emulate Özil in terms of his creativity and exceptional passing ability. The challenge? Keeping him in Turkey - if you have never managed in the Turkish Süper Lig it is complete chaos and havoc and well worth a dabble if you are looking for a brand new save adventure, taking the reigns at Fenerbahce and building a team around Güler to dominate both domestically as well as mounting a serious Champions League challenge knowing that the furthest the club have ever reached is the Quarter Final stages.

2. Alex Scott (Bristol City)

 
 

Having received a substantial attributes boost in the FM23 Winter Update and already confirmed by Football Manager as the most signed player since the update was released, it's safe to assume that Alex Scott won't be in Bristol for much longer. Now in his second full season having played 38 games for Bristol City last season, his performances this year have received widespread plaudits with Pep Guardiola labelling him as an "unbelievable player" following their recent FA Cup clash. The last Guernsey born footballer to reach Premier League heights was one Matt Le Tissier and its looking increasingly likely that Scott will be the next 👀

In FM23 we are looking at an 18-year-old midfielder who can be developed for almost any central midfield role you need him for - already advanced in terms of speed & agility and powerful passing and dribbling for a player his age, add on his high determination and you're looking at a guaranteed future England midfielder at least in-game whatever about real life. For a club in the Championship there are string echoes of Jude Bellingham at Birmingham a few years back and we all know how that turned out - the challenge here is to take the reins at Bristol City and see if you can build a promotion project for a team who have never even made the Championship playoffs let alone play in the Premier League. Build a team around Alex Scott and you may just go where no Bristol manager had ever gone before.

3. Roony Bardghji - FC København

 
 

Another player who Football Manager highlighted as having received a Winter Update attributes boost and a player who we have long obsessed over here at 5 Star Potential (particularly @FridayNightFM who voted him as his Player of the Year last year in FM22). Roony Bardghji is arguably the most exciting player in Denmark at the moment and looks certain to be one of the best exports we have seen from Scandinavia if rumours of a move to Real Madrid are to be believed. Having broken into the FC København first team last season scoring 2 goals in 13 games to help them win the Danish Superliga as well as featuring twice in the Champions League, Bardghji has already bagged 3 goals and 3 assists this season and is now a first team regular due to his incredible pace, flair, confidence in taking on opposition full backs and his exceptional ability in cutting inside and creating goalscoring opportunities for himself or for his attacking team-mates - it surely won’t be long before we see him in a Sweden shirt alongside the likes of Dejan Kulusevski or Alexander Isak not to mention Zlatan who recently was recalled to the side at the ripe old age of 41 (the man is like a fine wine).

In FM23 Bardghji is simply lethal - only 16 at the start of the game, we are already seeing high Pace, Technique, First Touch, Dribbling, Passing and of course that lovely 16 Determination, along with which he clearly likes to Run With the Ball Often, Plays One-Twos and ultimately just makes things happen regardless of which club he plays for. If you can somehow manage to keep him in the Danish capital, then he along with the likes of Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson and Mohammed Daramy will provide a core around which you can build a team to dominate Denmark for years to come as well as take them into a new era of competitiveness in the Champions League having never qualified from the group stages previously. This is a challenge we can all get behind.

4. Kaiky (Almeria)

 
 

Along with Bardghji and Güler, Almeria’s now 19-year-old defender Kaiky was nominated among the NxGN Top 50 Young Players in the world this year and for very good reason - after breaking out for Santos last year starting 15 games he has been hailed for his exceptional aerial ability, read of the game and adeptness in making blocks/interceptions and never fearing a strong tackle accordingly. Such was the level of his performances that UD Almeria showed no hesitation in being the first club willing to pay €8m for his services and having shown that they are no fools when it comes to scouting South America (it was they who brought Darwin Nunez to Europe), it’s safe to say they have a player on their hands and they are wisely taking their time in moulding him for first-team football - this season he has made 8 starts and 5 sub appearances but despite this he ranks in the 90th percentiles for Blocks and Interceptions in La Liga this season.

In FM23 he is ready; despite only being 18, he already has good enough attributes to play for most top-tier sides in Europe and knowing how quickly good players can be developed in-game, we are looking at potentially one of the best central defenders in the game this year which is probably clear in most saves out there where he regularly ends up at one of the elite level clubs after a few seasons (in my case it was Man City in Season 3). As a player who has been frequently likened to Thiago Silva it’s a no brainer - take the reins at Almeria, park Kaiky in your back line, lock the doors and throw away the key..he’s that good.

5. Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona)

 
 

The amount of top class young centre-halves is outstanding in this year’s game and this is highly evident in Italy where not only have we seen Giorgio Scalvini evolving into arguably the best centre-back in FM23, his compatriot Diego Coppola has certainly been giving him a run for his money and it’s easy to see why. At 6’4” Coppola has dominated aerially for Verona, ranking in the 90th percentiles for Aerial Duels won while also stacking up in terms of blocks and interceptions made - that said, he also contributes positively to Verona’s transition and possession play showing confidence on the ball and also ranking highly for progressive carries and progressive passes received which at 18 is often an undeveloped skill for a central defender of his size.

In FM23 we find a young defender at one of Serie A’s relegation favourites who is unlikely to stay at the club beyond the first one or two seasons - though tall he is not slow, and with strong mental and defensive attributes already he develops rapidly in-game (even under the AI) and alongside Scalvini form the future of the famous Italian National Team back line. The challenge is of course seeing if you can keep him at Verona and build an entire project around him - the last time the club won the Scudetto was in 1985 and since then the highest they have finished is 9th in Serie A (multiple relegations certainly haven’t helped); as Shakespeare himself put it - “In fair Verona where we lay our scene”

6. Alberto Moleiro (Las Palmas)

 
 

If I was to tell you about a short, technical, intelligent and mature-beyond-his-age midfielder at Las Palmas you would probably think we are still in 2020, moments before Pedri made his move from the Canary Islands to Catalonia for what is now one of the bargains of the century at just €5 million. However we are of course in 2023 and in this case we are not referring to Pedri but a player that somehow Las Palmas have managed to produce and help their fans to almost forget about Pedri’s existence - that player is Alberto Moleiro, the 19-year-old local-born attacking midfielder who enjoyed a breakout season in La Liga 2 last year playing 35 games and contributing 3 goals and an assist in a season that saw Las Palmas ultimately fall short in terms of their promotion hopes. This season Moleiro has started like a house on fire with 8 assists in 30 odd appearances, propelling Las Palmas to 3rd in the league just 4 points off leaders Eibar at the time of writing.

Another of @FridayNightFM’s top tips for FM23 - Moleiro starts the game as an 18-year-old who can largely play as an AMC or out wide on the left, with already excellent technical skills (watch out for that 16 Technique and 15 Vision) as well as bags of room to develop physically considering he is only 5’7”. With traits for “Tries Killer Balls Often” and “Likes to Beat Opponent Repeatedly” already in place, Moleiro is an absolute firecracker in-game and can absolutely be the difference maker in helping Las Palmas return to La Liga for the first time since 2018 and with the likes of Jonathan Viera, Vitolo and former FM wonderkid Florin Andone alongside him this is definitely an attractive challenge - lock in Moleiro with as big a release clause as you can find and operation Las Palmas can begin, not a bad excuse for an ad-hoc holiday to the Canary Islands either 😉.

That’s your lot - if you are looking for a new challenge in Football Manager, why not try taking the reins at one of these clubs where your main objective is to keep hold of their prized asset and in turn build your team and your save project around them? Knowing that you will have to deal with big clubs circling, board members getting greedy and of course the player themselves having their head turned - there is a lot to navigate here, but we wouldn’t want it to be too easy either right?

Let us know if you decide to try one and keep us posted on your progress either in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter.

Thanks for reading. 

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